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James Dolan, Co-Creator of SecureDrop, Dead At 36 (gizmodo.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the rest-in-peace dept.

The Freedom of the Press Foundation is reporting that James Dolan, former Marine and co-creator of the whistleblower submission system SecureDrop alongside Aaron Swartz and Wired editor Kevin Poulsen, has died at age 36. He reportedly took his own life. Gizmodo reports: First deployed as StrongBox with The New Yorker, organizations such as the Washington Post, the New York Times, the Associated Press, and Gizmodo Media Group have all come to rely on SecureDrop -- which allows highly secure communication between journalists and sources in possession of sensitive information or documents. As an industry tool, it has become invaluable for reporters. Dolan joined the Freedom of the Press Foundation to maintain SecureDrop after co-creator Aaron Swartz took his life in 2013 at age 26, as pressure mounted in a federal investigation against him that many felt was overzealous. Memorial services have not yet been announced, and presently the circumstances of Dolan's death are not known.

8 of 188 comments (clear)

  1. How convenient by Stormwatch · · Score: 5, Insightful

    People who annoy governments tend to kill themselves, isn't that strange?

    --
    Circumcision is child abuse.
    1. Re:How convenient by squiggleslash · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Has anyone blamed Clinton for this one yet? I know she's not in power, but she's the go-to for conspiracy theories concerning this kind of thing.

      --
      You are not alone. This is not normal. None of this is normal.
    2. Re:How convenient by Hal_Porter · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I think it's pretty gross to be joking about the death the actor who played Montgomery "Scotty" Scott on Star Trek. RIP Scotty ;-(

      --
      echo -e 'global _start\n _start:\n mov eax, 2\n int 80h\n jmp _start' > a.asm; nasm a.asm -f elf; ld a.o -o a;
  2. "took his own life" by SuperKendall · · Score: 2, Insightful

    You know we're all thinking it.

    Yeah I might believe that if the other creator of SecureDrop had not also "taken his own life".

    Truly the Deep State protects its own. Good luck to the next person to take over maintenance! Maybe you'll make seven years if you only drink water you purify yourself from random streams.

    --
    "There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
    1. Re:"took his own life" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      It's actually very easy to fake a suicide, you only need to control one thing: the person who rules it a suicide.

  3. Suicide, or murder by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I'm starting to think that a lot of this feels like government sanctioned murder against individuals trying to help society by revealing the truth of matters.

    This whole thing stinks.

  4. Both founders commit suicide? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I don't always wear a tinfoil hat, but when I do...

  5. Quickly and Painlessly by 31415926535897 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    He did himself in the quickest and most painless way possible with three gunshot wounds to the back.

    I don't know what happened in real life, but these things always look suspicious.